


Brightest Dawn

by The_German_Grim_Reaper



Series: Darkest Sky, Brightest Dawn [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2020-11-27 04:36:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20942381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_German_Grim_Reaper/pseuds/The_German_Grim_Reaper
Summary: Many moons after the journey to the lake, the next generation of clan cats is ready to take their place in the forest.  Mudpaw of Windclan and Larchpaw of Thunderclan become fast friends, but can their friendship survive the times to come?  Trouble is stirring on the moors, and a certain lost clan may be returning... with a new leader at its head.





	1. Prologue

“We have to be getting close.”The pale ginger she-cat insisted.Her leaf-green eyes shone with worry as she glanced back at her companions.

“We’ve been traveling for more than a moon.”The cat by her side meowed.“Are you sure we’re even going the right way?”

The ginger cat sighed.“I have no idea.”She admitted.“But surely if we weren’t, Starclan would send us a sign?”

“A sign.”Russetfur repeated.“But I have had no dreams since Blackstar’s death.Have you?”

“No, but Starclan has never chosen to speak through me.”She shook her head, before glancing at another cat who was trodding along not far behind them.“What about you, Littlecloud?Have you had any messages?”

He bowed his tabby head.“No.Not since my dream about the dying warrior.”

“A dying warrior.”The ginger cat repeated.“How will a dying warrior show us the way back to the Clans?”

Littlecloud shrugged.“Starclan’s messages are always cryptic.”He meowed.“But I know what I saw.Raggedstar came to me and told me that, when we stand upon the wall of ivy and stone, a dying warrior will show us the way.”

“I don’t know, Sandstorm.”Russetfur shook her head.“Walls of ivy and stone?We’ve stood on plenty of walls and none of them have showed us the way so far.”

The ginger she-cat, Sandstorm, bowed her head.“I know.”She mewed in response.“But we have to keep trying.One Clan cannot survive without the others.”

“I see a clearing up ahead.”The other cat spoke suddenly.“It’s getting late; perhaps we should stay there for the night.”

Sandstorm hesitated, then nodded.“You’re right.Applepaw and Mistyfoot are still recovering from the illness, this much walking can’t be good for them.Russetfur, Talonclaw, can you check it out?”

The cats in question nodded, darting off to investigate the clearing.Only moments later, Russetfur let out a yowl.

“Sandstorm!”She called.“You need to see this!”

Sandstorm hurried forward, not quite sure what to expect.The perfect camp, perhaps?The other three clans, waiting patiently for them in the moonlight?But when she stepped out of the trees, her eyes were met with only a large stretch of grass.Far away from them, a small group of cows chewed mellowly on the sod.This wasn’t a perfect camp- it wasn’t even suitable for one night.

“Just another dead end.”She sighed.“We’d better head around, it would be a disaster if we spooked those cows.”

But Russetfur was shaking her head.“No.”She mewed, sounding more energized than she had in moons.“Look closer.”

“At what?”Sandstorm questioned, peering at the field.It looked like every other cow field they had come across.Overgrown grass, a few patches of dirt, and the occasional wildflower, fenced in by trees on three sides and a fence on the other.

_No_, she realized slowly._Not a fence_.It was a wall, a crumbling stone wall streaked green with ivy.“The wall of ivy and stone.”She hardly dared to whisper.

They had seen other stone walls since receiving the message, and many of them had even been grown over with ivy.But none of them had been so completely woven with ivy that it showed more green than gray.There was no question in her mind.This was it, the wall that Littlecloud had been told about.

The rest of the clan caught up to them, looking bedraggled and worn-down.“Sandstorm, what-“ Morelpelt began, but Sandstorm cut her off.

“Rowanclaw, guard the Clan.Russetfur, Littlecloud, with me.”

She crossed the field quickly, darting through the long grass with practiced ease and staying as far away from the cows’ hooves as she possibly could.It wasn’t long before she reached the other side, and she reached the top of the crumbling wall with a single leap.

Russetfur landed beside her, Littlecloud only moments behind.They were all silent for a long moment.“Maybe I was wrong.”Russetfur whispered after several heartbeats had passed.“Maybe this isn’t the right wall after all.”

“Look!”Littlecloud hissed excitedly, his tail lashing in excitement as he stared up at the night sky.Against the blanket of black, a single bright star streaked across the sky.It left a fiery trail behind it that slowly faded into darkness.

“The dying warrior.”Sandstorm breathed.

“Raggedstar was right.”Littlecloud mewed in awe.“It showed us the way.”

“We can do this.”Sandstorm shared a glance with Russetfur.“We can really do this.We’re going to find the Clans.”

It might have been her imagination, but it seemed to Sandstorm that for the first time in a long time, the stars glowed a little bit brighter.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larchkit, the only surviving child of Rainwhisker, goes on an adventure.

Larchkit woke up slowly. She was pressed against the warm fur of her mother’s belly and she could smell her father nearby. She sighed and pressed herself in closer, burying her face in her mother’s fur.

“Wake up, my little mouse.” Hollyclaw’s soft mew sounded in Larchkit’s ear. Larchkit groaned and rolled over, away from the noise.

“Oh, let her sleep.” Rainwhisker meowed, sounding amused. “I can always come back when I’m done with patrol.”

“Patrol?” Larchkit asked, sitting up and looking at her father with wide eyes. “You’re going on patrol?”

He nodded.

“Can I come? Oh, please, can I? I’m almost six moons, I can keep up.” She begged.

Rainwhisker purred in amusement. “‘Almost’ catches no mice.” He told her. “You can come on patrols once you’re made an apprentice. I just came in to see you before I left.”

Larchkit sunk back into her nest. “But I won’t be an apprentice for a whole moon!” She complained. “That’s ages!”

From beside her mother, Sorreltail purred. The other queen was lying on her side, belly swollen with kits. “I remember when I was her age.” She mewed. “You’ll be an apprentice soon enough, Larchkit, don’t worry.”

“But I want to be an apprentice _now_.” She grumbled.

Rainwhisker purred. “I have to go now.” He told them. “Be good for your mother, Larchkit.”

Larchkit sighed and watched as her father left the den. Her mother wrapped her tail around her in comfort, and Larchkit curled up close.

She couldn’t fall back asleep. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. She was tired of being stuck in the nursery, surrounded by a thick wall of brambles on all sides. And even when she went outside to explore the camp, it was no better. The stone walls of the hollow surrounded her and she just wanted to get out. Camp was boring. She was the only kit in the nursery- as she had been for nearly a moon now- and Foxpaw and Icepaw never had time to play kit games anymore. Maybe if her littermates had survived she would have had someone her age to play with, but they hadn’t and she didn’t.

Although… her father _was_ going out on patrol. She could always just follow him. Surely she wouldn’t get in trouble if she _proved_ she was big and strong enough to keep up with the warriors? Maybe Firestar would even make her an apprentice early!

Larchkit stood up and stretched, keeping an eye on her mother. Hollyclaw twitched in her sleep, but didn’t open her eyes. The little kit padded carefully out of the den, trying to make her pawsteps as light as possible. If she was caught, she would never get another chance.

Luckily for her, most of the camp still seemed to be sleeping. Ratfur and Whitewing were sharing a mouse in the sun, but they weren’t looking her way at all. Ashfur was guarding the entrance to camp, and no other cat was out of their dens. Her father’s scent led towards the entrance, and she realized that she might be too late. His patrol had already left.

They couldn’t have gotten far. If she could just get out of the camp, she had a chance of catching up to them. All she had to do was figure out how to get past Ashfur.

As if hearing her thoughts, the pale gray tom stood up and stretched. He walked towards the warrior den. Larchkit edged closer to the entrance, hoping she’d have a chance to get out before he turned back around.

“Brackenfur!” He called softly, sticking his nose into the den. “It’s your turn to sit watch.”

Before the older warrior could step out of the den, Larchkit made a dash for the entrance. She slipped out of the barrier and was immediately hit with the fresh scent of the forest.

She had no idea how to track a scent among the plants and prey-scents of the forest. Her father’s smell was strong here, and she thought she caught a whiff of Icepaw as well, but it was so muddled by the other scents around her.

There was a pawprint in the ground, a broken stem where some cat had trodden on it. She padded towards it, and was relieved to find that her father’s scent stayed. She was going the right way!

She followed her father’s trail as well as she could. However, it wasn’t long before she realized that she could no longer find his scent. She paused beside a wide stump and took a deeper breath, opening her mouth to scent the air, but there was still nothing. She had lost the trail.

_Mouse-dung!_ She turned around, resigned to returning to the camp. 

She had only taken a few steps back the way she had come when she realized something. She had no idea where she was. She didn’t recognize these trees at all.

She stumbled through the forest, hoping desperately to see some sign of the path she had come before, but only succeeded in getting more lost.

She paused, gasping for breath, under the branches of a pine tree. It was low to the ground, so far bent to the side that the needles almost brushed the earth. She crouched in its shadow, trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart.

_Snap._ A twig broke under some cat’s paw. Larchkit peered out of her shelter, hoping to see a member of Rainwhisker’s patrol. Instead, she saw dark amber eyes staring right at her.

She jumped back with a squeak, cowering away from this strange cat. He blinked, and something about him softened. It wasn’t his eyes, certainly; they still looked at her with cold calculation. But his shoulders seemed to have relaxed and his claws had sheathed.

“Are you lost, little one?” He asked her.

Larchkit forced herself to nod.

“Are you from Thunderclan?”

Another nod.

He hesitated. “Come out from that tree and I can take you back to camp.” He told her. “I know the way.”

Larchkit perked up at that. “You do?” She asked.

“I do.” He agreed with an amused purr.

She blinked. “But how? You aren’t a Thunderclan cat.”

He hesitated again. “My name is Mudstar.” He introduced himself after a moment. “The leader of Windclan. You must have passed the border without realizing it.”

Larchkit’s eyes widened. She was on Windclan territory? She had no idea she’d gotten so far away from camp! “I- I’m sorry.” She mewed meekly.

“It’s alright.” He told her. “I’ve been to your camp before to meet with Firestar. Follow me and I can lead you back.”

Larchkit slipped out from beneath the pine branches cautiously. With a nod, Mudstar turned and began walking in the other direction. She followed him nervously, not sure if she should trust him but also not wanting to be left alone again. It wasn’t long before she began to see trees that she recognized.

“We’re almost there.” He told her. “You must be getting tired; you’ve walked a long way.”

Larchkit nodded. Now that he mentioned it, she_ did_ feel rather tired. Her paws ached from walking so far.

Without another word, Mudstar picked her up by the scruff of her neck. He walked for a little farther, with her dangling between his teeth, until Larchpaw suddenly caught the scent of Thunderclan.

“Larchkit!” She heard her mother’s voice only moments before the pure white she-cat burst out of the brambles. “You’re alright!”

Mudstar set her down carefully, and Hollyclaw immediately began to lick her.

“Hollyclaw?” Firestar called. “Have you found her?” He emerged from the trees, Rainwhisker by his side. When he saw Mudstar there, he bristled.

“Peace, Firestar.” Mudstar told him soothingly. “I mean you no harm. I found this kit on our side of the border.”

Firestar’s stance did not relax. “Then we must thank you for bringing her back to us.” He mewed evenly, although Larchkit could see that his claws were out and his muscles tense. “A patrol will escort you off of our territory.”

Mudstar dipped his head in acknowledgement, but his eyes were gleaming. “Of course.”

As Larchpaw found herself escorted back to the nursery, her mind couldn’t help but wander. That had been an enemy leader? Why had he helped her? And there was a spark of doubt in the back of her mind- Mudstar had found her in the woods, but she was sure their territory was on the moors. Had she really gotten so lost that she had crossed the scent marks without noticing? Or… no, she must have been imagining things. There was no way a leader would have been trespassing on their territory, after all.

Still, as she lay down to sleep, she couldn’t quite suppress that little bit of doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been ages! But here (finally) is a chapter.
> 
> And yes, I know the age gap between Rainwhisker and Hollyclaw (Ferncloud's Hollykit) is icky. But to be fair, there really weren't a lot of in-clan options for his mate, and I can't see him taking a mate from another clan. Besides, he never exactly hung around the nursery, and they didn't become friends (and then more) until she was already a warrior. Is is weird? Yes. But it's nowhere near as bad as half of the canon ships, and besides, it's not going to be the main focus of the story.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you thought I'd forgotten about this, didn't you? I've literally had this chapter written for more than 6 months I just never got around to it

Her last moon in the nursery passed quickly.Sorreltail had her kits, and although they were far too small to play with, Larchkit felt a sort of satisfaction at not being the only kit in the nursery anymore.Foxpaw and Icepaw had regarded her with awe and respect upon hearing about her escapade into Windclan territory.All in all, life was good.

“Who do you want to be your mentor?”Icepaw asked her.They were sitting outside the nursery, waiting for the dawn patrol to be back so Firestar could hold her ceremony.

Larchkit considered it.There were a lot of great warriors in the Clan, but many of them already had apprentices.“Graystripe.”She decided after a while.“He hasn’t had an apprentice in a while, right?”

Icepaw shrugged.“I guess, but he’s the deputy!There’s no way Firestar is giving you the Clan deputy as your mentor.”

“Besides,” Foxpaw chimed in, “I heard from some of the other apprentices that he trained your mother.So he’s probably not going to train you, too.”

Larchkit deflated at that.“Well who do _you_ think it’ll be?”She asked them.

Foxpaw hummed lightly as he thought it over.“Maybe Birchfall or Ratfur.I don’t think either of them have had an apprentice yet.”

Larchkit tilted her head to the side.“Maybe.”She agreed.Birchfall was her mother’s brother and a good warrior, and Ratfur seemed decent enough.So long as she wasn’t stuck with someone boring, like Smokefoot, she would be fine.

Icepaw perked up.“The patrol!”She mewed, only moments before the Ferncloud padded through the thorny tunnel.The rest of the patrol followed behind her.

Mousepaw padded over to them.“Is it today?”He asked.

Larchkit nodded eagerly.

“Congratulations!”He purred warmly.“I’m sure you’ll be a great apprentice.”

Mousepaw was her father’s apprentice.He had always been friendly.Larchkit ducked her head in embarrassment.

“All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!”Firestar’s yowl split the air.

Larchkit jumped to her feet.She couldn’t believe this day was finally here!She scampered over to the base of the Highledge, her eyes shining bright with anticipation.She had been waiting for this day for six moons, and it was finally here.

Her mother leaned down to lick her ear. “Congratulations.”She whispered as the other cats gathered around them.

Once every cat had gathered, Firestar began to speak.“Larchkit,” he meowed, “you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Larchpaw. Your mentor will be Squirreltuft. I trust that she will pass down all she knows onto you.”

Larchpaw sighed, but did her best to hide her disappointment. 

“Squirreltuft, you are ready for your first apprentice.”Firestar continued.“You received excellent training from Dustpelt and have shown yourself to be bright-spirited and capable.You will pass on your skills to Larchpaw.”

Squirreltuft stepped forwards and touched her nose to Larchpaw’s.Her eyes were bright with excitement.As the Clan began to chant Larchpaw’s new name, she glanced back at her parents.Rainwhisker and Hollyclaw both looked incredibly proud of her, and a bit of the worry in her chest eased up.Maybe she didn’t have the best or the most experienced mentor, but she could do this.She was going to train as hard as she could, and one day she’d be the best warrior Thunderclan had ever seen.

When the ceremony was over, Squirreltuft lingered by her side.“I’ll take you to the training hollow today and we’ll work on some basic battle moves.”She mewed.“And then tomorrow I can show you around the territory.Does that sound good?”

Larchpaw nodded eagerly.She had only been out of the camp once before, when she was five moons old and had accidentally crossed into Windclan territory.This time, she was determined not to make such a fool of herself.

“Great.Follow me.”

Squirreltuft took off out of the camp and Larchpaw followed her.Her mentor was running fast, with the ease of someone who knew the territory well and knew every pawstep of her path.Already, Larchpaw was struggling to keep up, and they had barely set foot out of the camp.

Squirreltuft had been one of the cats who went missing back in the old forest, destined to deliver a message from Starclan and lead the Clans to their new home.Instead, she, Brambleclaw, and the Riverclan warrior Stormfur had been trapped in the mountains.When the Clans had found them, Squirreltuft and Brambleclaw had made the rest of the journey with them, but Stormfur had chosen to remain behind.It was a well-known tale, often told to her in the nursery.Still, most cats in the Clan hadn’t quite forgiven the two warriors for abandoning them in their time of need, even though it had been an accident.

Squirreltuft ducked in between two bushes and leapt over a rotting log.Larchpaw stopped and stared at the log in dismay.How was she meant to jump over it?The log was as tall as she was!

“Well?”Squirreltuft asked her, sounding amused.“Are you coming or not?”

She hesitated.“It’s so tall.”

“If you can’t jump it, then climb.”Squirreltuft advised her.

Larchpaw wrinkled her nose.“But it’s covered in rot!”She complained.“I don’t want to step on that!”

“Alright.”Squirreltuft agreed easily, leaping back over the log to stand beside her apprentice.“Then I suppose I’ll have to carry you like a kit the rest of the way.”

Larchpaw’s pelt prickled in embarrassment.“I’m not a _kit!_”She protested.

“Then prove it.”Squirreltuft told her.“Because if I were an enemy warrior, and I were chasing you, I would hardly stop to ask if you needed help climbing a log.”

Larchpaw scowled.She strode forward, stopping just before the log.She raised a tentative paw and pressed it to the bark of the log, jerking it back when she felt it give way beneath her.  
“That’s nasty!”She complained, wiping her paw across the leaves in an attempt to get the damp off of it.

Squirreltuft let out a _mrrow_ of laughter.“I can promise you that within a moon, you’ll be leaping over that like it’s nothing.”

Larchpaw doubted it.However, she allowed Squirreltuft to pick her up without complaint and deposit her on the other side of the log.

“The training hollow is this way.”She meowed, leading the way at a more leisurely pace.Larchpaw was glad for the reprieve; she was already panting from the run.

They stepped into a small clearing.The ground was covered in a layer of soft moss and leaves cast a dappled light over the whole place.Squirreltuft moved to the middle of the clearing, then turned to face Larchpaw.

“I’m going to demonstrate a move for you, and then I need you to copy me.We’ll start off with an easy one, the front-paw blow.”

She reared up, bringing her paw down in a wide arc at the air in front of her.If there had been a warrior there and her claws had been unsheathed, her claws would have raked across the top of their head, and the force of the attack would have given them a jarring blow.

“Like this?”Larchpaw repeated the motion.

“Almost.Your paws are too close together- you need to keep a wider stance so you don’t overbalance.”

They worked on battle moves until the sun was high in the sky.By the end of it, Larchpaw was getting frustrated.She just couldn’t seem to get anything quite right.She hesitated before her blows, she wasn’t quick enough to predict the next attack, and, according to Squirreltuft, there wasn’t enough force behind her strikes to do more than stun a mouse.

She slunk into camp, barely able to place one paw in front of the other, and flopped down in the shade of the apprentice den.She was the most tired she had ever been in her life.

“How did training go?”Foxpaw asked her, sitting down beside her.“What did you do?”

“It was great!”It was only partly a lie.She _had_ enjoyed it, it was just that she wished she could be better.“Squirreltuft showed me how to do the front-paw blow and we practiced dodging.”

“That sounds great!”Foxpaw purred.“She’s showing you the territory tomorrow, right?”

Larchpaw nodded.“How did you know?”

“Whitewing and I are coming with you.”He explained.“It’ll be our first border patrol together!”

Larchpaw purred as Icepaw padded over to them, a plump thrush between her teeth.“Want to share?”She offered.“I just caught it now, it’s nice and fresh.”

Larchpaw nodded eagerly.The three of them shared the prey in companionable conversation.As Larchpaw relaxed, she realized that she was having a great time._Maybe_, she thought to herself, _it didn’t matter who her mentor was as long as she had friends by her side._

Morning came quickly.Larchpaw was roused by Foxpaw before dawn.She stumbled out of the den, stifling a yawn, to see that Whitewing and Squirreltuft were already waiting by the entrance to camp.

Whitewing led them out of the camp.“We’ll head to the Windclan border first.”She mewed.“After that, we’ll follow the lakeshore to the edge of our territory and then come back.”

Larchpaw fell back a few steps so she was beside Foxpaw.“Why is Whitewing leading?”She questioned in a hushed mew.“Squirreltuft is my mentor, shouldn’t she be the one telling me this?”

Foxpaw shrugged.“Whitewing is a more experienced warrior.”He replied.

As they journeyed farther and farther into the forest, Larchpaw couldn’t help but feel that she was in familiar surroundings.“Are we nearing the Windclan border?”She questioned, spotting a tree stump that she was sure she remembered passing when she was a kit.

Squirreltuft shook her head.Amusement was clear in her voice as she spoke.“No.We’re not even halfway there.”

“Oh.”Larchpaw frowned.That didn’t seem quite right, but she _had_ been a kit at the time.Maybe she was just misremembering things.

“Why?”Foxpaw teased her.“Surprised to see how big the territory really is?”

Larchpaw shook her head, keeping silent.She was_ sure_ she remembered passing that stump not long before Mudstar found her.

When they passed a pine tree, so dipped to the side that it’s needles touched the ground, she stopped.“Are you _sure_ this isn’t the border?”She asked again.

“Of course I’m sure.”Squirreltuft replied.“What do you think Windclan would want with a brambly forest?”

“But I’ve been here before.”Larchpaw told her.“When I snuck out.”

“You must have come through this way.”Whitewing told her kindly.“We’re a little more than halfway there now.”

“But it was here.”Larchpaw insisted.“I was here when Mudstar found me.I remember I’d just passed that pine- and there’s the half-buried stone- and I almost tripped over those tree roots on the way back.”

Whitewing and Squirreltuft exchanged a look.“Larchpaw,”Squirrelpaw began, looking her in the eye, “you must understand that we can’t simply accuse a Clan leader of trespassing.Especially not based on the word of a new apprentice about something that happened more than a moon ago.”

“Trespassing?”Larchpaw echoed.

“You’re probably just misremembering where you were.”Whitewing mewed.“But even if you’re right, it was a moon ago.There’s nothing that can be done now.”

Larchpaw nodded.The rest of the patrol dragged on slowly. How was she meant to focus on learning the territory when she’d just found out a rival leader had been trespassing?

When they got back to camp, she walked into the apprentice den and went straight to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

“Mudpaw!”Thistlestrike called.“Mudpaw, are you awake yet?We’re supposed to go hunting.”

Mudpaw groaned and forced himself to get up.He felt like it was still the middle of the night.Why was he being forced to get up this early?

Then he remembered.Mudpaw was an apprentice now!His mentor, Thistlestrike, had promised to take him out training first thing in the morning.He hurried out of the den, blinking away the sleep from his eyes.

“You’re late.”Nightcloud told him flatly.Her apprentice, Clawpaw, was standing beside her.

Mudpaw ducked his head sheepishly.“Sorry.”He muttered.

“We’ll head out towards the lakeshore.”Thistlestrike mewed.“That will be a good place to start our speed training.”

“Speed training?”Clawpaw repeated curiously.“I thought we were hunting.”Her eyes sparked with interest.

Thistlestrike purred with amusement.“How do you think you’re going to hunt if you can’t run as fast as a rabbit?”He asked her.“Come on, let’s go.”

Mudpaw trailed behind his mentor, feeling the cool breeze ruffle his fur as he stepped outside of the camp.“Is Toothpaw coming?”He wondered.

Nightcloud shook her head.“Weaselfur is going to show her the territory today.”She meowed.“It’ll just be the four of us training.”

Thistlestrike and Nightcloud led the way over the grassy moors until they reached a stretch of relatively flat land.Sunshine reflected off the lake’s glassy surface not far away.

“Windclan are fast.”Thistlestrike told them.Mudpaw rolled his eyes.Of _course_ he knew that, every cat did.“That’s our first line of defense, our best skill in battle, and our way of catching prey.”

“Other Clans have other traits.”Nightcloud added.“Any guesses what those are?”

Mudpaw perked up.He knew this!“Thunderclan are strong in a fight.”He piped up.

Thistlestrike nodded in approval.“And?”

“And… Riverclan use the water to their advantage, right?”Clawpaw guessed.

Nightcloud’s eyes gleamed.“Yes.”She mewed.“But they also have weaknesses.”

“Like… Thunderclan aren’t fast.”Mudpaw mewed slowly.“So… they have trouble keeping up in an open field.”

“Exactly.And Riverclan are so used to swimming that they’re at a disadvantage when it’s dry.”Thistlestrike nodded, giving his apprentice a proud nod.

“Now, we won’t be learning how to fight them today.”Thistlestrike added.“We’ll be working on improving our own strengths.Speed isn’t just useful in battle, it’s also what allows us to catch rabbits and other prey.So we’ll be assessing your speed and then letting you try a little bit of hunting.”

Mudpaw’s eyes widened.Assessing their speed?He hadn’t thought he was supposed to be fast already!Wasn’t that what training was for?

Clawpaw moved to stand next to him.“When I say ‘go’,” Nightcloud told them both, “you’re going to run as fast as you can.Stop when you get to that thorny stump.”

Mudpaw looked up.It took him a moment to find the stump, but when he did, he had to hold back a groan.It was so far away!He’d never run so far in his life.

“Go!”Nightcloud called.Mudpaw ran forward, his paws beating against the hard earth beneath him.He could hear Clawpaw’s heavy pawsteps beside him and he forced himself to go faster.Every muscle in his body ached and the wind was pelting against his face, but he couldn’t stop now.

The stump was getting close.Clawpaw put on a final burst of speed.Mudpaw strained to do the same, but she was still a tail-length ahead of him when they passed the stump.

Mudpaw skidded to a halt, panting for breath.Clawpaw’s pale green eyes gleamed with triumph.“I beat you!”She crowed.

Mudpaw flopped to the ground, trying to catch his breath.“I was close!” He argued good-naturedly.

Thistlestrike and Nightcloud caught up to them.“Good job!”Thistlestrike purred.“You’ll both be great warriors one day.”

“Clawpaw especially.”Nightcloud added.“You’ll be chasing after rabbits in no time!”

Her eyes gleamed at the praise.“Who cares about rabbits?I want to be chasing after enemy warriors!”

“Come on.”Thistlestrike told them, giving Mudpaw a good-natured nudge with his shoulder.“Let’s go over some basic stalking techniques, and then we’ll give you a chance to try them out.”

Mudpaw’s heart was still pounding with exertion from the run, but he looked up at his mentor with bright eyes.“Okay!”He meowed excitedly.

“The Gathering is in a couple of days.”Nightcloud added.“If you pay lots of attention and do your best in training today, I might be able to convince Mudstar to let you go.”

Mudpaw shared an exhilarated glance with his sister.The Gathering!This was a dream come true, and he couldn’t wait.


End file.
